i5/OS V5R4 and IBM i 6.1 now provide many great backup and recovery enhancements to make your job easier.

By Debbie Saugen

There are many new and exciting backup and recovery enhancements with i5/OS V5R4 and IBM i 6.1. One of the key highlights for V5R4 is the capability of saving and restoring using Integrated Virtual Tape. i5/OS Virtual Tape support is unique to i5/OS. It makes use of the disk on the system and does not require a separate hardware device as with other Virtual Tape Library support. i5/OS Virtual Tape support offers a save and restore alternative to the current i5/OS save file support. Software encryption for backups using Backup Recovery and Media Services (BRMS) is a key highlight for IBM i 6.1. Moving backup media offsite for safekeeping incurs the risk of losing media during transport, making encryption of sensitive data an essential safeguard.

IBM Reports 2009 First-Quarter ResultsIBM has announced first-quarter 2009 diluted earnings of $1.70 per share compared with diluted earnings of $1.64 per share in the first quarter of 2008, an increase of 4 percent as reported. First-quarter net income was $2.30 billion compared with $2.32 billion in the first quarter of 2008, a decrease of 1 percent. Total revenues for the first quarter of 2009 of $21.7 billion decreased 11 percent (4 percent, adjusting for currency) from the first quarter of 2008. "IBM continued to perform well in a very difficult economic environment. This was due to our long-term strategic focus: shifting into software and services, divesting of commodity businesses, and creating solutions that help clients reduce cost and conserve capital. At the same time we have a disciplined approach to cost and expense management giving us a strong financial position," said Samuel J. Palmisano, IBM chairman, president and chief executive officer.Read More >>